The SPRING Project is looking for an experienced consultant to support SPRING’s work with a USAID Feed the Future country (to be determined, but likely in West Africa) to deepen the evidence base on integrating nutrition-related information into agricultural information systems. This consultant will ideally be based in Washington, DC with some travel to West Africa. The option for remote work can be explored for the right candidate. Please read the SOW below to see if you are interested and qualified! This consultancy will run from mid-April through mid-July 2016 with up to 60 days level of effort.
BACKGROUND DETAILS:
The SPRING Project is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by USAID. SPRING’s overarching vision is to reduce undernutrition, prevent stunting, and work with women and children on reducing anemia. By providing state-of-the-art technical support, SPRING aims to strengthen country efforts to scale up high-impact nutrition practices and policies to improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes. SPRING’s experienced implementation team consists of experts from JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc., Helen Keller International, The International Food Policy Research Institute, Save the Children, and The Manoff Group.
SPRING’s work in linking agriculture and nutrition is built around assisting USAID Missions to leverage agricultural investments where they can best contribute to achieving measurable improvements in nutrition, especially in USAID’s Feed the Future focus countries. Consistent with USAID’s new Nutrition Strategy, SPRING is doing this by a) advancing the thinking and practice around nutrition-sensitive agriculture; b) cultivating a relevant and multi-sectoral audience; and c) providing quality service and technical assistance. The activities under these initiatives will allow SPRING to build the capacity of Feed the Future Missions and implementing partners to better understand and apply the agriculture-to-nutrition pathways and principles to improve the design, implementation, and monitoring of their Feed the Future activities towards measurable outcomes for improved nutrition.
Evidence shows that improved nutrition requires a multi-sectoral approach, and that agriculture can contribute to improved nutritional outcomes through three primary pathways: production, income, and women’s empowerment. Within this context, availability and access to nutrition-related information, especially for the most nutritionally vulnerable groups and those who have the greatest influence over decisions that impact nutritional outcomes, is a critical component to achieving the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and USAID Feed the Future targets.
Current status of the Activity: This fiscal year, SPRING has allocated resources to work in a USAID Feed the Future country to deepen the evidence base on integrating nutrition-related information into agricultural information systems. This analysis will consider gaps and opportunities for integrating nutrition information into agriculture information systems in order to make recommendations on how USAID and other public and private investments can make these systems more nutrition-sensitive. The research will examine the range of pluralistic extension approaches, including ICT mechanisms and services and other civil society and public and private institutional platforms used to generate and increase access to information on agriculture and nutrition. SPRING will also analyze communication channels where agriculture information intersects with other sectors, primarily within the health and education sectors, and how these channels can be better leveraged to contribute to agricultural information systems that integrate aspects of nutrition. As a new round of USAID Feed the Future activities are being designed and other projects are looking to better incorporate nutrition into interventions, it is important that lessons learned and better practices are well-documented. Recommendations from this study can be used by the government of the target country, USAID and other donors, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to improve program investments and multi-sectoral coordination for linking agriculture and nutrition. In order to complete this work, SPRING is seeking an individual with proven agriculture information systems analysis skills and experience.
OBJECTIVES FOR THE CONSULTANCY:
The objective of this small-scale research activity is to examine mechanisms for integrating nutrition-sensitive content into agricultural information systems to better affect food production, purchase, preparation, and consumption practices. The research is expected to focus on a target geographical zone, or sub-sector within agricultural systems. It will highlight use of multiple communications and service platforms, and identify system-level strategies for integration of nutrition-sensitive agriculture content, including gender, food quality and micronutrient-related information, in agricultural information systems.
The report resulting from this activity will:
- Define the specific research hypothesis, the contextual parameters and key stakeholders involved. This may include focusing within a specific geographic area, and on specific value chains or sub-sectors.
- Document the agricultural information dissemination channels and the services and stakeholders they are linked to, particularly including the growing uses of ICT mechanisms to scale up availability and access to agricultural information, financial services, health, and other information.
- Document what type of nutrition–sensitive agriculture information exists and how it is generated. This will also include information that intersects and may be generated through other related sectors, primarily environment and natural resource management, financial services, health, and education.
- Identify where nutrition-sensitive agriculture information has been included in existing messages and related services, and what the perceptions of how this information is understood, accessed, and used by service providers, end-users, and other stakeholders;
- Highlight use of multiple communications and service platforms, and propose specific system-level strategies for integration of nutrition-sensitive agriculture content into agricultural information systems.
- Where possible document observations for additional research, and promising approaches to integrating nutrition into agriculture information systems that could be scaled up or replicated.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT:
The consultant will be responsible for co-leading the research into the existing agriculture information systems in a Feed the Future country to be determined. He/she will work closely with the small SPRING team overseeing this activity: Agriculture Advisor, Food Security and Nutrition Manager, In-country Advisor, and Project Officer to produce a final report that addresses the central objectives in the bullets above. Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for:
- Reading and enhancing an extensive background literature review on agriculture information systems, and adding and summarizing content relative to the target country context.
- Finalizing research questions, establishing a timeline for the activity, and establishing an outline for the final product.
- Developing protocols and interview instruments for in-country research.
- Working with a local consultant and coordinating consolidation of findings, as appropriate/necessary.
- Traveling to the target country and conducting the interviews and related research in the field.
- Completing a draft of the final research report and working through edits and comments based on feedback from SPRING and the USAID Bureau of Food Security and the target country Mission.
LEVEL OF EFFORT, PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE, AND EXPECTED DELIVERABLES:
This consultancy is to not exceed 60 days and the period of performance is approximately April 15 – July 15, 2016. Expected deliverables and estimated timelines are outlined in the table below:
Enhance the desk review of agricultural information systems and integration/intersection with nutrition – Due April 15, 2016
Summary of desk review findings and action plan for initial scoping trip – Due April 15, 2016
First field visit to finalize research plan; initial meetings – Mid April, 2016
Interview instruments, final research protocols – Due early May 2016
Travel and in-country research – May 2016 (3 weeks)
Draft research report – June 15, 2016
Final report – early to mid-July 2016
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Qualified applicant will have experience working in/researching agriculture information systems with an emphasis on scaling up extension, communications, and ICT. S/he will have conducted primary research, including conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions, as well as have experience developing and adapting survey instruments. Understanding of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and experience working with USAID programs and across sectors preferred. Must have excellent written communication skills and the ability to travel (up to 4 weeks at a time) to selected target country (most likely in West Africa). Previous experience working in Africa is strongly preferred. Please be sure to highlight various country experience in resume when applying. All international consultants with the required qualifications are welcome to apply.
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